1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for reading a multicolor manuscript utilized in a copying machine, a facsimile device or the like, and more particularly a method and apparatus for reading a multicolor manuscript by cutting off or elimination a picture information regarding a specific color.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation showing a prior art apparatus for reading a manuscript utilized in a copying machine, a facsimile device or the like. The manuscript reading device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a glass plate 1, an illuminating lamp 2, a reflection mirrors 3 and 4, a lense 5, an image sensor 6, a signal processing circuit unit 7 and an illuminating lamp drive circuit 8. A manuscript to be read is mounted on the glass plate 1 and then a switch 81 of the illuminating lamp drive circuit 8 is operated to light the lamp 2 to illuminate the manuscript. The light reflected by the manuscript is received by the image sensor 6 through reflection mirrors 3 and 4, and the lens 5. A photoelectrically converted output corresponding to the picture image pattern of the manuscript and produced by the image sensor 6 is applied to a binarizing circuit, not shown, of the signal processing circuit unit 7 to convert the photoelectrically converted output into a binary signal of a definite level, thus reading the picture information of the manuscript. As is well known in the art, the prior art manuscript reading apparatus of the type described above is designed such that even when the manuscript to be read is multicolor namuscript in which black, blue, red or other color picture informations coexist, the illumination lamp 2 is selected to have such light wavelength characteristic that the image sensor 6 can produce uniform photoelectrically converted outputs not only for black color picture information but also for other color picture informations so as to read picture informations of blue, red or other colors. Where remarks or row lines, etc. of the multicolor manuscript are written or printed with blue or red color, and where the operator wants to record the manuscript with these remarks or row lines, the prior art manuscript reading apparatus reads also the picture information of blue or red color. Accordingly, there was a problem that such manuscript reading apparatus could not obtain a recorded picture image from which blue or red color picture informations have been erased. Where it is desirable to obtain such recorded picture image erased with a picture information of a specific color, such recorded picture image can readily be obtained by using a color manuscript reading apparatus capable of reading respective colors of a multicolor picture informations and then suitably cutting off or eliminating read picture signals of the specific color. However, such multicolor reading apparatus is generally expensive and inconvenient to use.